Three identical steel balls, each of mass m, are placed in a cylindrical ring which rests on

a horizontal surface and whose height is slightly greater than the radius of the balls. The
diameter of the ring is such that the balls are virtually touching one another. A fourth
identical ball is then placed on top of the other three. Determine the force, P, exerted by
the ring on each of the three lower balls.

Let the radius of each ball is R then the centers of N

all balls will form a tetrahedron of side R, and the q
vertex to the center distance of the equilateral
triangular base will be (2/3)(3R/2) = R/3.
F
Hence the angle between slant sides of the
tetrahedron with vertical will be given by N
Top view Side view

R/ 3 1
sin q = =
2R 2 3
Let the force of reaction on top ball due to each of the three ball be N then the
net vertical force on the top ball will be 3 N cosq which is balancing the weight of
the upper ball hence we have

3 N cosq= mg

Or N = mg/ (3cosq) ----------------- (1)

Now each lower ball is pushed down by the same force N and its horizontal
component will be

F = N sinq

To keep the lower balls at there place the ring will apply the same force on the
balls and hence the force applied by the ring will be

P = F = N sinq

Substituting the value of N from equation 1 we have

1
mg *
mg mg sin q 2 3 = mg
* sin q = =
3cos q 3 1 - sin 2 q 1 3 11
3 1-
P= 12